Interview: Alyson McLayne, author of ‘Highland Promise’

Interview: Alyson McLayne, author of ‘Highland Promise’

Joyce: Welcome to HEA, Alyson! Please tell us a bit about your new release, Highland Promise.

Alyson: Gladly! Highland Promise is the first book in my historical romance series, The Sons of Gregor Macleod, starring five Highland lairds, who were fostered together to become brothers. Darach, Lachlan, Callum, Gavin and Kerr fight for their clans, for each other and for their own true love.

I first started writing Highland Promise about 10 years ago after reading ALL of Julie Garwood’s Highlander romances. I LOVED them — the resolute Highland laird and the kind, somewhat quirky, heroine who worms her way into his heart. IMHO, they are the funniest, sweetest and best warm-fuzzy-inducing books ever written.

I think Highland Promise captures that same tone and spirit: Caitlin MacInnes is the waif/free spirit who turns the chieftain, Laird Darach MacKenzie’s life upside down — and then spins it around and dribbles with it. He’s undone by her. His heart, which he swore he’d NEVER give to another woman, becomes putty in her hands. Of course, he doesn’t know that at first, and even when he figures it out, he doesn’t tell her — he’s a warrior not a poet. And Caitlin, who is determined to make Darach happy whether he wants her to or not, doesn’t believe there’s any possible way she can stay with him — ’cause there’s a whole lotta trouble on her tail. What she fails to realize, however, is that Darach, with the help of his foster brothers, is strong enough to handle it.

War is coming. Caitlin didn’t start the blood feud between the Frasers and the MacKenzies, but she will be the catalyst that ends it — pitting the good men of the Highlands against a monster.

Joyce: Is there an idea out there that you wish you’d thought of?

Alyson: I love the concept of Monica McCarty’s Highland Guard series — a band of elite Highland warriors are gathered together by Robert the Bruce to form a Navy SEALs-esque team and charged with freeing Scotland from English rule. Hooyah!

Joyce: Is there anything funny that’s happened to you while doing research for a book?

Alyson: I was writing a love scene for a book a few years ago and Googled something to make sure I was using the right words to describe an, um, intimate act between my characters (my kids were little, I had baby brain, I couldn’t remember anything!). It was a relatively tame love scene — sexy but definitely not erotica, and I was not pushing any boundaries. But what came up on my search had my eyes popping, and I was like, that’s a thing? Like Alice down the rabbit hole, I had to click on the link that came up … and another … and another (my kids were having their afternoon nap, I had time!), and before I knew it, I was at the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party with some pretty kinky folks, and I couldn’t scour from my brain some of the things I’d just read. The funny thing was, after I closed my browser, I erased my search History. Just in case …

Joyce: Do you have any particular rituals that help you get into the writing frame of mind?

Alyson: I don’t know if I’d call them rituals, but I do a few things to eliminate distractions (or try to!). When I check e-mail and social media in the morning, I don’t allow myself to sit down — so I’ll stand at the counter or at my desk. Immediately afterward, I turn on Freedom, an app that blocks Internet access on my computer, and I don’t put my phone down within reach, otherwise I’ll pick it up and start scrolling. The last thing I do is put in earplugs, even if I’m alone. Kind of like my own sensory-deprivation tank.

Joyce: Is there a TV show that you’ve recently binge-watched?

Alyson: No. And the reason is because I’m in writer hell with deadlines right now — and being a newbie means I’m trying to learn everything all at once about the non-writing side of things. HOWEVER, come October there’s Outlander, Game of Thrones, Stranger Things and House of Cards — just to name a few.

Joyce: What TV show or other activity interferes with your writing schedule?

Alyson: Mothering! And no, that’s not a TV show, although sometimes it feels like The Gong Show around here.

Joyce: Do you have a pet that hangs out with you while you’re working?

Alyson: Yes! I have a chocolate Lab puppy named Jasper who turns 1 year old the same day Highland Promise debuts. How great is that?

Joyce: Happy birthday, Jasper! What do you do in your spare time?

Alyson: Um … did I mention I was a mom? What’s this spare time thing of which you speak?

Joyce: What’s coming next?

Alyson: Coming up next will be Lachlan and Amber’s book, Highland Conquest, which releases in February. Following that is Callum and Maggie’s book called Highland Betrayal, which I’m currently working on. It was probably due yesterday, depending on when this comes out, lol. In addition, I’m writing the third book in my Santa Barbara Billionaire Bachelors series, called How to Outplay a Player, which I’m releasing as a serial in my newsletter.

Joyce: Thanks, Alyson!

About Highland Promise:

Five boys destined to become Highland lairds are fostered together as brothers. Darach, Lachlan, Callum, Gavin and Kerr fight for their clans, for each other, and for their own true loves.

When forced to choose between duty and honor…

Darach MacKenzie vowed never again to let a woman near his heart after his betrothed betrayed him. It sparked an intense feud between his clan and the Frasers. With all-out war on the wind, Darach can’t be distracted — not even by a sweet and charming lass who desperately needs his help.

This Highland Laird will find a way to have both

When Darach rescued Caitlin MacInnes from the clutches of vile Laird Fraser, she vowed to never let men or misery rule her life again. With Darach and the MacKenzie clan, Caitlin finally feels safe. But when Laird Fraser shows up to claim what’s rightfully his, or go to war, Darach will have to use all his brawn and brains to protect Caitlin — even if it means losing his heart.

About Alyson

Alyson McLayne is a mom of twins and an award-winning writer of contemporary, historical and paranormal romance. She’s also a dog lover and cat servant with a serious stash of dark chocolate. After getting her degree in theater at the University of Alberta, she promptly moved to the West Coast of Canada where she worked in film for several years and met her Prop Master husband. She and her family reside in Vancouver with their sweet but troublesome chocolate Lab puppy named Jasper.